Staff
HMS Staff
Susan W. Butterworth, PhD, MS, Director
William L. Gaynor, MPA, Associate Dean
Ariel Linden, DrPH, MS
Laura Blue, MPH, Health Coach
Verna Burden, MS, RD, Project Manager
Laura Cirotski, BSN, RN, Lead Nurse Coach
Jennifer Marcoe, MA, Project Manager
Wende McClay, MS, Project Manager
Jessi Thurston, BS, Program Manager
Megen Bach, BS, Program Coordinator
Program Evaluator
HMS uses Ariel Linden, DrPH, MS for our program evaluation activities.
Susan W. Butterworth, PhD, MS
Director, OHSU Health Management Services
Dr. Butterworth founded OHSU Health Management Services in 1997. Her expertise is in program and staff development, health promotion, Motivational Interviewing, and health coaching. In addition, Dr. Butterworth is part of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. Dr Butterworth received her Masters degree in Exercise Physiology and Doctoral degree in Adult Education and Training, with a health promotion cognate — both from Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds the position of associate professor at the OHSU School of Nursing.
William L. Gaynor, MPA
Associate Dean, School of Nursing
Mr. Gaynor is Associate Dean for Administration of the OHSU School of Nursing, and is also active in the management of the OHSU Center for Healthy Aging and OHSU's medical wellness center, March Wellness. His career has spanned a wide variety of health care endeavors, including acute care, outpatient services, medical supply distribution, medical real estate, senior housing, gerontology, wellness and nursing education.
Ariel Linden, DrPH, MS
Program Evaluator
Dr. Linden began his healthcare career as a clinical scientist in the areas of cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology. Since completing his doctorate at UCLA in health service research in 1997, Dr. Linden has worked at various health plans in the area of clinical quality improvement and research. His focus in the last three years has been on Disease Management, specifically evaluation strategies for determining program effectiveness. In this area alone, Dr. Linden has recently published numerous peer-reviewed papers, letters to the editor, and a book chapter. In 2003 he was commissioned to write a position paper for the industry’s trade organization - the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA). Dr. Linden is quite active in the Managed Care accreditation process, serving as a surveyor for the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Additionally, he sits on several nationwide boards and committees focused on improving the quality of care delivered to patients, health plan members, and disease management program participants. Dr. Linden currently holds adjunct positions at Oregon Health and Science University's School of Medicine and School of Nursing.
Laura Blue, MPH
Health Coach
Ms. Blue has worked in the health field for nearly 20 years. She received a Master's Degree in Public Health from Portland State University. Her career experience includes working as a patient advocate and medical assistant in a women's reproductive health clinic. Ms. Blue gained valuable expertise in smoking cessation by coordinating several clinical trials at the OHSU Smoking Cessation Center. She was hired in 2005 as health coach for the Project META grant where she provided coaching on topics such as stress management, weight management, physical activity and smoking cessation. Ms. Blue currently provides health coaching services for HMS and holds an adjunct teaching position at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington.
Verna Burden, MS, RD
Project Manager, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. Burden has been involved in nutrition and weight regulation research since 1990. She received her Masters of Science degree in Nutrition from the University of Georgia. Starting with energy balance research in animal models, she later worked in the General Clinical Center at OHSU, coordinating controlled clinical feeding trials. Throughout her career Ms. Burden has maintained an interest in health promotion, teaching related workshops and carrying out nutrition consultations. She has worked with Health Management Services since 2000. As a Health Coach, she focuses on clients who have a nutrition related interest. Starting in 2004, Ms. Burden has directed the Project META grant which is studying both health promotion interventions and recruitment strategies.
Laura Cirotski, BSN, RN
Lead Nurse Coach, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. Cirotski excels in coaching high risk clients to increase their self-efficacy and self-care. She received her Bachelors of Nursing from Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing in Portland, OR. She has practiced Nursing for 18 years, 13 of those years in Critical Care Nursing, and is experienced in Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Jennifer Marcoe, MA
Project Manager, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. Marcoe joined OHSU Health Management Services in 2000 after earning her Bachelors degree in Health Education from Western Oregon University. Ms. Marcoe also holds a Masters degree in Education. Her expertise lies in project management, administration, health screenings, health coaching, and material development. She brings a broad knowledge base of experience having worked with many of HMS’s clients providing wellness services.
Wende McClay, MS
Project Manager, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. McClay has been in the health promotion field for over 7 years and brings a wealth of experience from fitness, worksite and corporate settings. Ms. Mcclay received her Bachelors degree in Health and Human Performance with an Exercise and Sport Science focus from Oregon State University, and Masters degree in Health Studies with a Mind-Body Health focus from Portland State University. She is part of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, with expertise in health coaching, exercise, and integrative health.
Jessi Thurston, BS
Program Manager, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. Thurston has been working in the health promotion field for over 4 years and has been devoted to the concepts her whole life. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Health and Fitness Promotion from Portland State University and brings with her experiences from worksite, fitness and corporate settings. She approaches health as a holistic practice and particularly enjoys the areas of fitness, emotional wellness, lifestyle change, and stress reduction. Her expertise also includes health coaching, biometric screenings and material development.
Megen Bach, BS
Program Coordinator, OHSU Health Management Services
Ms. Bach has been working in the health promotion field for over 3 years. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Health and Promotion and Education from Oregon State University and brings with her experiences from corporate settings. Her expertise also includes administration, biometric screenings and material development.
For more information please contact us.